A. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to learning assistance, and in particular, to help modules or methods, principally with respect to use with a learning application, such as for example, computer programming having as its function the teaching of information to users.
B. Problems in the Art
The “help” screen is widely known in the computer arts. In applications programming, it is common to have available to the program user access to explanations or technical assistance through such help screens.
Help screens are essentially ubiquitous and are therefore well known in the art and will not be discussed in detail here, except to note that conventional help screens consist of textual information that can be read by the user. Hopefully the textual information will assist or “help” the user in some fashion.
There is also known in the art help modules or what otherwise might be called training lessons. The user can essentially learn how to use the application software associated with the help module, without actually running the application software. Essentially, the help module simulates the actual programming to assist a user to become able to use the software for real applications.
There have also been attempts made in the art to provide graphics or audio enhancements to help screens or similar attempts at providing assistance to users.
All of these “help” systems are, at least in a sense, the analog to what has existed for innumerable years in books. It is common for references or authorities to be cited in the book to alert the reader to more information about a subject. The other reference can then be obtained and reviewed to supplement or assist in learning about the subject. Computerization of the learning process is convenient and economical, but present attempts to provide such learning assistance still follow the old paradigm of referencing one other way to describe the same concepts that are in the original information.
However, each of the above-mentioned methods or systems is based on merely providing supplementary information to the user. It may be supplementary in the form of text, graphics, audio, video, or any combination of the above. It should be noted however that all of the methods or systems being discussed do function as adjuncts or supplementations to the foundational information being evaluated (being learned), and that this supplementation is one-dimensional, in the sense that it restates or summarizes the foundational information, or a part thereof, in one manner, format, level of comprehension, etc.
Some existing systems use help modules which provide a reworded paraphrase or summary of the foundational information in a computer based training program. This is dissimilar in that it only spits back a question in a slightly different format to the student. It does not give in-depth information and it is not combined with other dimensions, the two or more levels of sophistication.
The phrase “level(s) of sophistication” is used herein to mean that the content of the information (audio or video, graphic or textual, etc.) varies in some sense from the other information, For example, it could vary by a person's perceptions (visual or auditory), by content, by complexity, or some other perceivable basis. Another example would be differences as subtle as the character or presentation of the information. Examples of characteristics or attributes that can be varied to provide the different levels of sophistication are set forth later in more detail. However, as used herein, level(s) of sophistication does not always mean that one level is more advanced relative to the educational or developmental status of a person. Rather, level of sophistication also means a difference, sometimes even minor, in presentation of information.
It has been found, however, that there is a need in the art for improvement to conventional learning assistance techniques. The following concepts are submitted to be accurate and demonstrable:                1. Different people learn at different rates.        2. Different people also learn in different ways.        3. Different people react to different learning techniques differently.        4. Different people learn better and quicker when provided with assistance at different levels of comprehension or at a developmentally appropriate level.        5. The same person may learn better and quicker by being provided with assistance at different levels of comprehension.        
In essence, what “works” for one person may not “work” for another person, when learning. The above can be illustrated with a few examples. If a complex set of rules or regulations had to be followed in one's job, it is many times difficult to learn such rules or regulations efficiently and accurately by simply rote learning. The human language is imprecise. For any person, even very sophisticated, high comprehension persons, merely reading the bare rules or regulations may not provide complete or clear enough information to truly know and understand them. There is many times the need for context, the need to know policy behind the words, and the need to understand the architecture, so to speak, of the rules and regulations as a whole, to achieve a full understanding.
Therefore, assistance in learning such rules and regulations may come from editorial comments associated therewith, from textual summaries or explanations, or other help medium. For the uninitiated, even assistance in the form just described may not be sufficient, or learning will be slow.
Also, learning can be enhanced for some people if a more elementary explanation of information is given. It helps with context, interconnection with other concepts, and remembering certain aspects or points associated with the information being learned.
Others learn better by having more detailed or higher level help or assistance relative to the information being learned. Still further, if one is already initiated in the subject matter, or is merely trying to become refreshed regarding the same, a higher level assistance is all that may be needed. Less elementary help would actually slow down the learning process.
Thus, different persons may ultimately arrive at the same point in learning information or concepts related to a subject matter by using different assistance techniques. Also, the same person may learn and retain quicker by having different levels of assistance available.
A meritorious goal of increasing the quality and quickness of learning is the benefits that flow from the same. In almost any environment, if learning of information, rules, regulations, tasks, etc. can be minimized, savings in worker time and resources can be realized. Further, if the quality of learning is high, work quality, and a reduction of correcting mistakes, is realized. Although in some ways subtle, these benefits are important for most businesses or organizations.
Still further, any learning task can generally be made more interesting by providing flexibility and variety. The quality of learning, i.e. true understanding of the subject matter and goal, retention, etc., can be enhanced by providing learning assistance which is not merely a textual explanation or summary of the subject matter being learned. It has been shown that retention of information by humans can be materially enhanced if more than just reading of the information is done, e.g. that reading and hearing information leads to higher retention, or quality of learning.
An example of a specific problem which the present invention addresses is: How to communicate vast amounts of legal, contractual, regulatory and procedural information to large numbers of government and private sector employees in an efficient, economical and effective way in order to change behavior and improve employee work output.
The specific problem addressed by the present invention (sometimes hereafter referred to as the “Help System”) is to provide an effective organizing tool to help the learner make sense out of the information overload most workers are confronted with today.
The invention is subtle and more intuitive than normal help techniques that rely on a search mechanism only and require the user to be able to articulate what he or she needs to know. This Help System gives it to them right at the topic in question and gives it to them at multiple levels.
The invention functions as a distiller and an amplifier of the information presented in the instruction which forms the backbone of the learning experience whether done in print, audio, video or in electronic interactive media.
As such, it is a completely customized, in context Help System presented in the Socratic approach. The Socratic approach has been shown to be one of the most effective ways of learning. In addition, the Help System gives the learner complete control over the level of information the learner requires for each topic. Learner control has been shown to be a very important component of effective learning systems.
Because of the speed with which a computer based system can manipulate the data, the learner is capable of seeing inter-relationships between concepts, facts, procedures, theories, and practical applications more quickly than with traditional audio, video, and text based non-electronic methods. A learner can go as slowly or as quickly, as deeply or as broadly through the material as he or she requires. The Help System contributes in a very real and important way to fulfilling this learner requirement.
Because the Help System is situated in an Information Model (see for example FIG. 2), vast amounts of information can be translated into learning much faster than ever before. The time normally spent in more customized instructional design approaches can be dramatically cut. The specific problem solved in this regard is the fact that large amounts of training need to be converted to electronic interactive learning formats. This Help System, as a part of the Information Model provides a way to organize and accomplish that very quickly.
Because of the dimensions provided by the Help System, more areas of the brain are touched. Cognitive science tells us that both the right and left brains must be considered. The different aspects of the brain and the various learning styles are addressed by the dimensions of the Help System.
This problem has not been solved completely either in traditional platform instruction, print/textbook, video or audio based training on tapes or cassettes or in other electronic interactive learning.
Platform instructors attempt to solve the problem by gearing the instruction to a certain learning level that they assume the student is in his/her understanding and mastery of the material. This assumption can retard the advanced people or overly tax the slower people. In addition, most of us are masters of some things but lost in other things so assumptions of where a class is on a topic-by-topic basis is difficult. Therefore, most platform instructors can have a lot of difficulty in addressing individual student needs. So for many students the problem has not been solved.
Print/textbooks, video and audio based instruction has all the same problems as platform instruction without the ability to respond in real time to student needs as the human instructor can do. Textbooks have the limitations of much slower information search and retrieval, cross indexing, and easily accessible multiple layered views of the subject matter. For video and audio tapes, the information is presented in linear format and the only way to get to something else is to use the inaccurate fast forward or rewind.
No other electronic interactive learning system presents information and facilitates learning in the immersive and multi-dimensional way the Information Model and its associated Help System do.
The disadvantages of other approaches are outlined below. In the current application of the invention, the Information Model lacks effectiveness without the Help System. The information normally lacks interest, personalization, and fails to provoke the curiosity inherent in all good students. The Help System remedies that.
It is therefore a principle object of the present invention to provide an apparatus and method for providing instructional help, at multiple levels of sophistication, in a learning application which improves over and solves deficiencies in the art.
Another object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus and method as above described which assists a person in evaluating and understanding information relating to a subject with more than simply supplementary text.
Further objects, features and advantages of the present invention include providing an apparatus and method as above-described which:                1. assists in learning for different types, aptitudes, and skills of different persons;        2. is flexible in its application to different persons, and to the skills and aptitudes of the same person        3. is flexible in presenting choices to users so that users can decide for themselves the best way to get assistance, or can decide the best type of assistance for the particular need of the moment;        4. is interesting and compelling to the user; and        5. is efficient and economical.        
The Help System addresses a variety of learning styles more effectively because it is totally under the control of the learner.
The Help System is very context sensitive system. It allows the learner to step around all aspects of a given topic as well as all aspects of a given subject.
The Help System is more interesting. It simulates being in a discussion of experts who represent different takes on the same information. Particularly effective is the emphasis on the practical application and the bottom line aspects delivered by the “Huh?” attribute.
From the instructional designer's point of view, the Help System, as part of the Information Model, gives the designer the ability:                i) to deliver an immersive learning experience.        ii) to process complex, lengthy, sometimes boring information, in a organized, bite-sized, and interesting fashion.        iii) to deploy courses more quickly than any other method.        
These and other objects, features, and advantages will become more apparent with reference to the accompanying specification and claims.